N-O League honors long time coaches

Contributed Photo – Honored by the Niagara-Orleans League with Foundation Awards Thursday were three long tme former coaches including, from left, Bob Ord, Steve O’Dea and Jack Kiebala.

Three former long-time coaches, Jack Kiebala and Steve O’Dea of Medina and Bob Ord of Albion, were presented with the Niagara-Orleans League’s Foundation Award at the league’s annual coaches banquet on Thursday evening.

O’Dea organized the Medina boys soccer program and coached the Mustangs varsity squad for the first 22 years of its existence (1981-2002). His Mustangs captured the N-O championship in 1992 going 9-1.

He also was involved with the Medina boys track team for some 30 years (1972-2003) serving first as an assistant coach and then as the head coach. The Mustangs captured the N-O title six times during that stretch (1973, 1975, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1995).

Kiebala was instrumental in getting the Medina girls track program off and rolling coaching the Mustangs for some 23 years (1980-2002). The Mustangs captured nine N-O titles during that period winning in 1982 and then taking eight in a row from 1984-1991.

He also guided the Medina cross-country teams for over a decade from 1990-2003.

Ord coached at Albion for some 25 years from 1970-1995 primarily leading the Purple Eagles cross-country and boys track teams.

He guided the cross-country program from 1975-1995. His boys Purple Eagles squad in fact won N-O championships in three different decades claiming the title in 1978, 1982, 1993 and 1994.

He guided the boys track squad for virtually all of his coaching years at Albion. His Purple Eagles claimed the N-O title six times winning in 1983, then four in a row from 1988-1991, and again in 1994.

The cross-country title in 1978 and the track title in 1983 were Albion’s first N-O championships in those sports.